Hey, Texplainer: What happens to Texas schools whose students don’t meet the federal No Child Left Behind law's benchmarks by the 2014 deadline?

In 2001 No Child Left Behind set a goal for public school students' passing rates on standardized tests to be at 100 percent in both reading and math by 2014. The Texas Education Agency announced this month that only 44 percent of Texas schools met this year’s goal of an 87 percent passing rate for reading and an 83 percent passing rate for math on the state’s standardized tests.

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Comments (5)

August 21, 2012 @ 10:04 p.m.

Alice Taylor

Nothing will happen. The Feds can't possibly afford to fund the upgrades and changes needed to make even half of the schools who fail AYP successful. Therefore the requirements will be lowered in 2013 by whichever party is in charge.

August 22, 2012 @ 7:49 a.m.

JOSHUA SMITH

Just more crap based on questionable standardized testing. If you want to know how your school is doing and what they are doing, go down and talk to them, ask questions, educate yourself. Do we care if we pass these arbitrary standards or do we care that our kids can succeed in life, make an honest income and stay out or TDC?

August 22, 2012 @ 8:09 a.m.

gypsy314 ne

This is the problem government we need to do vouchers and everything will clear up

August 22, 2012 @ 9:47 a.m.

Dave S

The passing rate has no hard meaning anyway. The score required to pass the test is arbitrary, changes each year, and is re-scaled based upon the test results. If you want a standardized test to mean something, have a national test with one fixed standard.

September 30, 2012 @ 9:46 a.m.

Christine Lund

If we are spending tax dollars to 'for profit' educational systems, how much are they getting and what is their success rate? Are there financial consequences for the 'for profits' when students drop out or has poor progress? Are these 'for profits' hiring qualified teachers and is student progress documented? How many are graduating and going on to college? All high school students should at least take tests to see where they stand if they chose college. Or is this standard practice? It would also tell whether the students really learned anything in high school.